what we know

the old advice for writers is to write what we know. i don't know if this is such great advice, but it's a good place to start.

i know a few things.

gimme a minute, i'll think of something...

pfft, come to think of it, i don't know a damn thing.

okay, that's the disclaimer. now, on to things i claim to know, but cannot provide a link to, clinical trial results from, or divine insight of...

number one (and these are in no particular order): the ncaa basketball tournament is one of the greatest sporting events of any year. the games themselves provide industrial strength drama, pathos, and exhilaration. and the office pools are great entertainment. fact is, big dance pools are a pretty good metaphor for life, aren't they? everybody makes their picks according to what they know, what they feel, and at the end, most times, everybody's brackets are a shambles. just. like. life.

letter b: orcas are damn fine representatives of the pacific northwest. sea otters are more easily anthropomorphized, river otters are more charming, but orcas are awe-inspiring. having seen them up close, from the cockpit of a sea kayak, i can say i've never been the same since. make of that what you will.

number 3: neocon politics and politicians are a threat to this country. they have demonstrated they have no respect for the poor, for children, for the geneva conventions, for the constitution, or for our intelligence. they must be stopped.